The Delicate Crystal Alchemist
by delicatecrystalalchemist
Summary: When a mysterious new girl joins the military, she soon discovers one of the elite members of the military is insane. How will she cope as she deals with the fear of his wrath and a budding romance with another member of the military?


Author's Note:

This is my first Full Metal Alchemist fanfiction! In fact this is my first ever fanfiction. raises her hands to quiet cheers and applause Let's see... don't own any of the Full Metal Alchemist characters except for Kimi Mitsu 0 :-) . I've only seen a few of the episodes but I'm so in love with one of the characters...see if you can guess who! Also, I think Ed is a jerk and want him to get what he deserves! 8D Please, please, please review, but only if its nice. People who give criticize are stupid and maladjusted and I feel sorry for you and how sad you must be in real life. Anyway, don't flame me unless you want my pet dragon Princess Fuyashi to come "flame" you back! On with the story!

**The Delicate Crystal Alchemist**

It was a quiet, rainy day at the military base when I stepped out of my car. I breathed deep, glad to be outside in nature where I was most at home, the energy of the storm electrifying me. I sighed happily as I turned to lock my car door. A beautiful smile graced my face as I looked at my car. Just a year ago it had been a hunk of scrap metal in a junk yard -- the only car I could afford when I had gotten my license. I had seen its potential, however, and had poured time and effort into rebuilding -- real effort, not alchemical effort. As a "reformed" Ishbalan I still had trouble fully trusting the overly quick and simple way alchemists just slapped things together. Though I had proven myself to be a prodigy alchemist, I still had trouble cutting corners the way those at the military base did. Though this meant it took me longer to do things, I would pour my whole soul into my work and would always end up with a finished product to truly be proud of. Thanks to hours of diligent effort, I now had a gorgeous '70 GTO Pontiac-- black, with red stripes down the hood and trunk.

I paused to check my makeup in the mirror. In a way, me and the car resembled one another. I had the beautiful deep ruby red Ishbalan eyes typical of my race, but my abnormal hair had garnered me a lot of praise and criticism from both Ishbalans and outsiders over the years. I had incredibly long curly raven black hair with streaks of purplish-red. This, combined with the "gothic" way I liked to dress earned me a lot of stares. I would usually combine my black outfit with a colorful scarf or belt. Today, it was a purple scarf that accented the highlights in my hair. I also wore a ruby-red ring on my left hand that had been passed down in my family for generations and matched my eyes. The multifaceted surface of the jewel echoed the depth of expression of my eyes.

I took a deep breath and walked inside the base. Today was my first day as a dog of the military. I had been forced to join and now I would be given my alchemist title. I knew I was lucky to have been free from the military's tyranny for as long as I had, because, with my gifts, they would have forced me to join earlier...but the tradeoff had been years more of a hellish childhood with my stepfather. My whole life had been a series of one exploitation after another...but I wasn't going to think about that today. Today I had to be strong.

As I entered the base, I tried to ignore the stares I was receiving from nearly everyone in the base, man and woman alike. With cat-like quickness I took in the details of my surroundings and the people around me. I used my photographic memory to study the people around me without having to stare at them. I amused herself by analyzing their lives, homes, and personalities based on their outside appearances. Just as I was about to enter the door into Colonel Mustang's headquarters I saw HIM. He was tall and lean, with spiky black hair and gorgeous eyes framed by a pair of stylish glasses. Having been hurt too many times in my life, I was not usually easily smitten and definently never chased guys -- unless it was to chase them off. I decided to make an exception in this case, however.

Unfortunately, before I could strike up a conversation with him, one of Mustang's aides -- Private Riza Hawkeye -- spotted me. "Mrs. Mitsu?" She asked, eyeing my low neckline and red eyes with open disdain. This was the kind of reception I was used to getting from most single women -- a combination of jealousy and xenophobia.

"Call me Lieutenant Colonel Mitsu, please," I said, giving her a condescending smile, reminding her that regardless of her feelings towards me personally, I was still her superior. Looking at me angrily, she then proceeded to lead me into Mustang's office. I decided not to wait for her to announce me and instead barged in, ready to show how angry I was at being forced to be a part of the military.

"You have your next assignment, then," I heard Colonel Mustang say as I walked in the door.

"Yes." The reply came from a sullen, pimply blonde teenage girl. I quickly moved into the shadowy areas of Mustang's office so that I could get a better look at the two of them without them noticing me.

"Fine then...dismissed." Upon closer inspection, I decided that the person in front of Mustang was a boy. A clearly ill-tempered and slow-witted boy at that. "Oh, and tell Lieutenant Colonel Mitsu to come in while your at it."

"No need, Colonel Mustang. I am here," I said from behind him. He whirled around, clearly startled.

"Ah, Kimi Mitsu..." he said, eyeing my lecherously. I gave him a withering stare. "I have your title here...would you like to see it?"

"Whatever." I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of making me beg for it.

He tossed it to me hard in the chest and I caught it with a wince. I took the contents out and gave them a quick glance. "You are to be known as the 'Delicate Crystal Alchemist,'" he said, still clearly mentally undressing me.

"Hey, Mustang...my face is up here," I said, taking his chin and turning it up to my face.

"Errr...sorry." He was visibly struggling to regain his composure. I left him still searching for something appropriate to say.

I breathed a deep sigh of relief once I as out of his office. I sat down with a cup of coffee and started reading my first assignment. Moments later, I dropped my coffee in horror. My first assignment was to help put down a riot among the Ishbalans of some northern city. Though the document itself was carefully worded, I knew it was just code talk for running the Ishbalans out of town on a rail. Angrily, I stood up and marched to Colonel Mustang's office with every intention of telling him to go stuff his assignment. I had hoped my first assignment would have something to do with the Philosopher's Stone. I knew the powers of the sacred ring that had been passed down in my family for generations. I believed that with its help and the support of the military, I could rebuild the lost empire of my people. It would be poetic justice to use the resources of the military to try and find a way to help the Ishbalan people...even if it meant sacrifice on my part. Lost in the reverie of what I would do for my people once I found the best way to effectively utilize the Philosopher's Stone and eliminate the threat of the military to the Ishbalan people, I forgot to pay attention to where I was going.

SMASH I felt something hit me hard from the side and I fell to the floor. Looking up, I saw a huge metal man and the scrawny, pimply teenager from Mustang's office standing over me. "Are you okay," asked the huge, hollow hulk of metal, helping me to my feet. Woozy, I glanced at the boy. He gawked at me, mouth wide open. "Brother...it isn't polite to stare," said the empty suit of armor.

I took it in stride. "It's fine...I'm used to it. Who are you guys?" Before he could reply, however, the short boy recovered and said loudly, "I'm Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist. This bucket of bolts is my crybaby brother, Al." I watched as Al seemed almost to melt with embarassment at the withering words of his brother. Before I could say something to make Al feel better, however, I heard shouts and sounds of running down the hall. I saw Colonel Mustang and ran up to him as he walked quickly towards the doors. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Scar has been spotted," he replied tersely. I had heard of Scar and his exploits. While I sympathized with his grievances, I disagreed with him methods. I felt the Colonel gently grab my arm and steer me towards the door. "Come on," he said, "You're riding with me."

We spent the car ride over in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I had been thinking about the man from this morning. My reverie was shattered, however, once we got to the blockade. We pulled up to the blockade and Mustang got out. "Damn it..." said Colonel Mustang, "I can't do anything while it's raining." In the center of the street, surrounded by dozens of armed military officials and tanks, was a figure from another life. Scar, or my brother Ahmed as I had known him, had his left arm wrapped around the neck of an important looking military man -- the commanding officer of the military, General Yukari. His right arm, which was covered with intricate black markings, was up against the General Yukari's chest. His right arm throbbed a dull red in the rain.

Heedless of the shouts of the military officials around me, I moved unthinkingly towards my brother. I knew I was putting myself in risk, but I had to do something to help. "Ahmed!" I shouted.

"Kimi?" He and I had been close as brothers and sisters could be as children; our family had been torn apart during the war. I had ended up with my stepdad in one of the camps, while he had escaped and disappeared early on in the conflict. My appearance here and the state alchemists' watch he no doubt saw in my pocket had clearly thrown him off guard. Much as it hurt to do it, I knew I had to take advantage of his surprise

"Ahmed...this is not the way to solve your grievances. I understand your pain, your anger, but you are not helping our people this way." I could see that my words were having an effect on him. "Please..don't do this anymore. You can disappear. There are better ways to aid our people," I continued. "I am going to help you...please do the right thing." I closed my eyes and focused my energy on the storm around me. Huge, dark storm clouds crackling with electricity surrounded us, forcing the military to retreat. "Now, Ahmed!" I shouted. I saw a bright red flash and gradually let the clouds dissapate, praying Ahmed had done the right thing. When it finally got light enough to see, I heard gasps of alarm and surprise. I opened my own eyes and saw General Yukari standing alone. There was a huge hole in the street beside him. Several military officials rushed to the hole, but by the time they got there, my brother was long gone. I breathed a brief prayer of thanks before collapsing to the ground.

When I woke up, HE was bending over me, gently checking my pulse. "Ah, you're awake," he said. I sat up, rubbing my head. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," I replied as I sat up, "A little woozy, though."

"That's to be expected after the show you put on," he said with a chuckle. "My name is Maes -- Maes Hughes."

"I'm Kimi...Kimi Mitsu." Our faces were bare inches from one another. I never been so quickly attracted to someone before. I could tell he felt the same way. I felt our faces inching closer and closer, but a loud noise somewhere outside startled us both and made us jump back from one another.

He cleared his throat and gave me a shy smile. "General Yukari wants to talk to you."

I gave him a wry smile. "I guess he is pretty steamed, huh?" Before he could reply, the door opened and Colonel Mustang walked in with the two Elrics in tow.

"Good, you are awake," said Colonel Mustang. "FullMetal will take you to the General. I must talk with Maes alone."

I walked outside with the sullen teen and his brother, staring at the ground as I walked forward. "You were really great," I heard a voice say. I looked up and was surprised to see it was Edward and not Al talking. "I could have done better, of course," he continued, "but on the whole, a decent performance."

I sneered. I was so sick of other people's pathetic attempts to one-up me in a combat style I didn't even care about. "Puh-leaze...there's no way _you_ could have done any better."

I heard him take in a sharp breath and hold it like he was counting to ten. "You know that he's killed ten state alchemists already." It was not a question, but rather a flat statement.

"Just what are you implying?" I was furious now. "Ten alchemists' lives are nothing compared to an entire race and culture of innocent women and children - which you state alchemists utterly destroyed . Anyway - are you telling me that if your brother was in trouble you would just let him be captured, probably tortured, and killed by the people who destroyed his entire family?" Heads of people all around us were turning now. I knew from past conversations that I was an impressive sight when I was truly angry.

"Yes, I would." He said, looking at my body with pointed lust.

"I hope for the sake of your soul, Edward Elric, that that isn't true. If that's the kind of loyalty you show to someone who sacrificed his body for your own twisted plans, regardless of the consequences, then you don't deserve your brother. You don't even deserve to live." With a grimace of anger, I turned around and strode away leaving him gaping after me like a fish out of water.

I was still furious when I reached the General's tent. Ignoring the guards' demands for identification I strode in and whipped back the curtains covering the entrance with a single thought. The General looked up, clearly startled by my unorthodox entrance.

"What do you want?" I demanded angrily, refusing to show any respect to a man who had ordered my entire people destroyed.

He never even batted an eyelash at my blatant disrespect. "To give you a new assignment." I sucked in a breath. I could see it now -- official duties as a stable hand or sewage worker. Before I could open my mouth to protest, he continued, "Effective immediately, I am reassigning the Elric brothers and am assigning you to continue their work developing or obtaining a viable version of the Philosopher's Stone. That is all. Dismissed." With a sharp flick of his wrist, he gestured for me to leave. Too stunned to do anything but comply, I dazedly shuffled out of the tent. Blinking in the sunlight, I pondered this sudden turn of events. I wondered how quickly I should reveal my hand and if I should reveal that I had the Philosopher's Stone at all. Lost in a reverie, I didn't notice the sound of running footsteps behind me.

"Hey! Mitsu!" I whirled around to find myself face to face with a very red, very angry teenager. The flush certainly didn't help his complexion any, I noted with savage glee. "I'm calling you out!" He shouted, spittle flying.

"May I inquire as to the reason for this sudden attack, FullMetal?" I asked coolly.

He flushed deeper. "You know why. You don't need the Philosopher's Stone. _I _need it. It's rightfully mine."

"Don't you mean _'we' _need the Philosopher's Stone, Edward? I was under the impression that you began research on the Philosopher's Stone to restore your brother's body -- or was that a lie as well?" I didn't bother to hide the contempt in my voice. It was clear that Edward had no love for anyone but himself. I kept walking away from him, determined not to be forced into a confrontation. All of the sudden, he grabbed my arm, whirled me around, and kissed me hard on the lips. I fought to get away, disgusted by the slimy, wormy feel of his thick lips. Finally I bit down, hard. With a muffled cry of pain, he let go.

"You _bitch,_" he snarled, and backhanded me across the face. I fell to the ground and looked up at him, beginning to feel frightened for the first time. I saw rape and murder written across his face as clearly as the scarlet stain of blood on a white alter cloth. Before I could react though, strong hands lifted me up and swung me behind a broad, muscular back. _Hughes_, I thought. I glanced from behind it just in time to see Edward go flying backwards as Hughes' fist connected with his nose. Edward hit the ground and came back up, snarling, face twisted like an animal's.

"That's enough, FullMetal." Hughes' voice was deep and utterly forbidding. Edward looked from Hughes to myself and then back to Hughes again.

"This isn't over, Mitsu!" He said, wiping the blood from his nose on the back of his hand. He strode away with as much of his dignity as he could muster. Hughes immediately turned to me.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" His voice trembled and I was surprised to see, as he brushed the hair back from my bruised cheek, that his hands were shaking too.

I gave him as much of a smile as I could muster. "I'm fine thanks to you. I think you saved my life." I shivered, recalling that awful look on Edward's face.

"Here, sit down," he said. "Let me get you a hot cup of coffee."

As we sat I began to speak. I told him things I had never told anyone else in my life. I poured out my life story: the nightmare abuse of my stepfather, the incredible gift that had been forced upon me, and even my dream of rebuilding my shattered civilization. He waited patiently and listened more attentively and gently than I ever imagined anyone could.

"You know, I've never trusted alchemy either," he said. He must have seen the question in my eyes because he went on, in a rush of words, "I had the talent, you know, but it always somehow seemed cheap and unfair. They pushed me to join the military and so I did, but not as an alchemist." His eyes became shadowed. "Never as an alchemist."

He went on, "I'd like to tell you a story. You confided in me, now I will do the same for you." He took a deep breath. "There once was a man who was very young and very foolish. He met a woman who he loved and he believed he could change her. He believed he could save her. You see, this woman had a terrible problem. In public she was everything a woman should be: beautiful, demure, polished. Sometimes, though, she would just _snap _and become a completely different person. A very terrible and violent person." Now it was Hughes' turn to shiver. "As time went on, the man gradually began to see that he couldn't help her. She became increasingly more and more violent, often throwing things at the man or striking him. Eventually, the man made up his mind to leave her. But on the day that he decided to leave, the woman told him that she was pregnant. The man knew he couldn't leave. He had to protect the baby. Plus, he truly still believed in the woman's goodness and believed that perhaps the baby would be good for her. And for a while it almost worked." He paused here, and we sat for a minute in silence.

"What happened?" I asked tentatively.

"She loved the baby. She knew it was a precious treasure and treated our baby as such. But towards me, her behavior got gradually worse and worse until one night she tried to kill me. I spend a lot of nights in the office now." I pretended to take no notice that Hughes had lapsed into first person.

"What about the baby?" I inquired.

"Elysia is...much like her mother. It's my fault, I suppose. Too many long nights in the office. She was alone with no one's influence but her mother's. Her disposition is no one's fault but my own." A solitary tear wound its way down his cheek like a miniature river. Seeing this, I couldn't help myself. I wrapped my arms around him and crooned softly, "It is _not _your fault. It's nobody's fault but that horrid, horrid woman." Hughes was sobbing onto my shoulder now, and I gently held him, stroking his hair.

Hours later, we sat across from one another, foreheads and palms touching. We had spent hours talking and had gradually come to a consensus. Hughes must leave his wife and Elysia and try to start a new life. For a long time he had argued of his responsibilities towards him, but eventually I helped him see that there are more kinds of responsibility than a husband for his wife and daughter -- like that of a wife for her husband. If they hadn't fulfilled their responsibilities, I reasoned, he did not have to fulfill his own. After a while, Hughes slept, a deep, healing sleep. When he awoke, we decided to go and gather his things from his house and move them into my own small apartment. He would leave the house to his family, he decided. He believed it was the least he could do. Rather than argue with him, I nodded my consent and we left, refreshed.

When we got to his house, however, we could see something was clearly wrong. There were no lights on anywhere in the house. All was utterly, deathly still. Hughes rushed in. I ran after him, heart racing. I will never forget the sight that greeted me in the living room. Edward was there, a vacant smile on his face and an eerie look in his eyes, completely covered in blood, which glistened dimly in the glow of the moonlight through the window. He had a large, wicked looking sword in front of him and was gently stroking the hilt. A woman and child I took to be Hughes' family lay on the ground. Their throats had been cut. Blood was everywhere.

Edward saw Hughes come in and his eerie smile grew wider. I could see now that Edward was totally, completely, irredemeably insane. "What do you think, Hughes? Was it worth it to help that bitch? Was it worth the price of your wife and daughter?" Edward sneered. I glanced over at Hughes. His face was ashy gray, but set and determined. Silently, he gently drew a set of throwing daggers from a sheath on his left side. With the light at Edward's back, I knew he couldn't see Hughes' actions. My mind raced. I had to distract Edward long enough for Hughes to get a clean throw...but how?

Inspiration hit like a lightning bolt. I quickly squeezed Hughes' hand and then withdrew. It was time to show Edward what really alchemical power was. I softly clapped my hands and instantly, Hughes' slain wife and daughter rose to their feet. "Edward!" I called, letting their voices speak through me. "Edward, what have you done!" I saw Edward's eyes widen in horror. Pressing my advantage, I made them walk staggeringly towards him, arms outstretched. "Edward, we have come to repay the favor you did for us!" Edward shrieked as Hughes' wife's hands wrapped around his throat and Elysia kicked his legs out from underneath him, driving him to his knees. I knew I could not summon them for much longer. My control was wavering as I grew shockingly weak from effort. "Hughes, now!" I shouted. I heard the soft hiss of a thrown dagger. Trusting Hughes implicitly and too weak to maintain the connection for any longer, I let go and let the world wash gently into dark.

When I awoke, all was silent. I tried to pry my eyes open, but even that effort was almost enough to send consciousness reeling back into darkness again. Desperately, I tried to remember where I was as I heard footsteps softly approaching. I sensed someone bending over me and felt the soft pressure of two oh-so-kissable lips. My eyes flew open, and I found myself staring up into Hughes' own gorgeous blue eyes. He gently broke the kiss and smiled down at me. "You're awake."

Too weak to speak, I merely nodded my head, recognizing the room finally as my own. I licked my lips. "Edward?" I asked, barely recognizing the husky sound of my own voice.

"Dead." Hughes replied briefly.

"Al will be crushed," I said sorrowfully.

"Actually, I think not," Hughes said. "I've been talking with Al since Edward's death, and I think he was almost relieved to finally be out of his brother's power. He loved Edward with unquestioning loyalty, but he feared him more." I felt happier at that news than I had in a long time. I had learned to like the boy in the brief span of time I had spent with him, and believed he must have deep reserves of love and strength in order to survive his brother's twisted machinations for so long. Reserves almost as deep as those of someone else I knew, in who's arms I was now resting.

Then, so softly I almost didn't hear it, Hughes said, "Kimi, will you marry me?"

I blinked. Joy filled me completely, joy as I had never felt in my entire life, and a deep, pervading happiness. "Oh, Maes, of course," I breathed.

And we lived happily ever after, or course.


End file.
